Car thread

Post by **tifosi77** » Mon May 19, 2014 8:41 pm

Yeah, we b|tch and moan about gas prices in this country all the time. Go rent a car in Europe and come back and join the discussion.

Right now the average cost of gas petrol is closer to $10/gal.

mac5155 · Post by **mac5155** » Mon May 19, 2014 8:41 pm

shafnutz05 wrote:When we visited Quebec a couple of weeks ago, I was struck again by just how fortunate we are.

It was around $1.40/liter....that roughly equates to $5.65/gal.

Not to mention the credit card machine wasn't working, so I had to go in and prepay for "35 liters of fuel" please. I know the metric system makes sense, but it's annoying to work with such large numbers.

A *** **** liter of petrol

ulf · Post by **ulf** » Mon May 19, 2014 10:33 pm

I don't want a large farva!

Post by **tifosi77** » Tue May 20, 2014 9:18 am

Million-dollar Mercedes 300SL Gullwing destroyed at Mille Miglia

Spoiler:

Ugh.......

dodint · Post by **dodint** » Tue May 20, 2014 9:31 am

I don't like Mercedes at all, that is the only car they ever made that I lust for. Oof.

Post by **tifosi77** » Fri May 23, 2014 12:57 pm

mac5155 wrote:
tifosi77 wrote:
mac5155 wrote:Are you spending $200 a month in gas cause your commute sucks or cause your car gets horrible MPGs? (or a combination of both)
Yes to both, and gas is also more expensive here than in PA. I think I paid ~$4.29 / gal when I topped up on Sunday.
You should evaluate if a diesel is worth it. If it's not, a hybrid more than likely is.

"A hybrid is a normal car for fools." -- Jeremy Clarkson

I'm not a big believer in hybrids, as I think they do more harm than good in the grand scheme of things. Altho, two hundo a month in gas is some eye opening harm, as well.

I'd prefer to go all-electric (Tesla Model S, hellooooooooooo nurse!), but those things are stupid expensive. The diesel option isn't bad, but I'd honestly be happy with a properly efficient normal motor. That said, I don't even know what the diesel options are in the 5-door faux wagon class.

mac5155 · Post by **mac5155** » Fri May 23, 2014 2:27 pm

Sportwagen? That doesn't seem to be your style, I dont think. Cant remember who was for/against.

The GTD is amazzzzzing. only available in Germany

pittsoccer33 · Post by **pittsoccer33** » Mon May 26, 2014 1:02 pm

has anyone ever dealt with Maaco?

This is my 1987 Pontiac Fiero. It hasn't been driven much since 2009 and I am changing that this summer. I spent yesterday working on the valves and draining all the fluids.

Given that its going on 27 years old the paint is unfortunately fading. Its really a burgundy red (or it was). For the time being until I can properly restore the paint im considering a Maaco job. Id keep the two tone burgundy and grey even though I have the tan and brown interior.

cheesesteakwithegg · Post by **cheesesteakwithegg** » Tue May 27, 2014 10:34 am

Any mini-van owners out there? We are looking at getting rid of my wife's car ('11 Sonata) and trading it in for a van.

I am down between a Town n Country, Sienna, or Oddessy. Any recommendations between those 3, or should I be looking at something else?

dodint · Post by **dodint** » Tue May 27, 2014 11:18 am

The thing with MAACO is that each location is independently owned, so the QA involved is up to the individual owner so reviews you get online may not be applicable to your local shop.

Also, if you're handy with body work and have the time/skill you can do the prep work yourself and it'll turn out much better. Take all the trim/badging off ahead of time, strip the existing paint, mask off everything you don't want painted, and then pay them to actually apply the paint. In your case I would just mask off the gray and only touch up the burgundy as adding that extra color will probably double your price.

Cool car, btw. I'd like something MR down the line. The Fiero is a neat platform as you can wedge some pretty big motors in there if you wanted, stuff like the Northstar V8.

mac5155 · Post by **mac5155** » Tue May 27, 2014 11:22 am

pittsoccer33 wrote:has anyone ever dealt with Maaco?

This is my 1987 Pontiac Fiero. It hasn't been driven much since 2009 and I am changing that this summer. I spent yesterday working on the valves and draining all the fluids.

Given that its going on 27 years old the paint is unfortunately fading. Its really a burgundy red (or it was). For the time being until I can properly restore the paint im considering a Maaco job. Id keep the two tone burgundy and grey even though I have the tan and brown interior.

What's the price on the Maaco job? Im a fan of small town shops. I can give you one in my area but he's always busy.

pittsoccer33 · Post by **pittsoccer33** » Tue May 27, 2014 11:27 am

i thought Maaco was usually advertised as being a few hundred dollars, which is definitely the low end of the cost spectrum

i wouldnt expect a lot for the price, but it would be great to hide the faded spots for a few more years until i can buy my own garage to keep it in.

i thought about taking the body parts off myself. its all plastic and they basically snap on, I've just never investigated exactly how that works.

dodint · Post by **dodint** » Tue May 27, 2014 11:31 am

Yeah, MAACO is usually in the $300-700 range. For a car that size it will likely be on the lower end. You're basically getting paint + 2hrs of labor. The first hour being the masking work. Some shops will take the price down if you do that work yourself. Are you considering going body color with the mirrors?

They're opening a MAACO in the next town over soon. I plan to take my car there when I'm done with it, and just having them spray it matte black. But it'll be on a trailer so I can do the masking at home and just roll it into their booth, might be more of a hassle with a road car.

Firebird · Post by **Firebird** » Wed May 28, 2014 7:06 pm

Had my first experience with a run-flat tire this weekend.

Was out in the country and ran over a nail. Not that I'd ever buy a run-flat set (this set came with the car) but it's quite impressive how strong these things are. With 0 PSI in the tire, it still appeared to have structure to it (not a completely flat look). Pretty impressive.

Had to find the least reputable shop in the nearest town to patch it as most shops refuse to patch RFT's.

mac5155 · Post by **mac5155** » Wed May 28, 2014 7:07 pm

Don't think you're near me but if you are PM me (scottdale PA area)

Post by **canaan** » Wed May 28, 2014 7:28 pm

pittsoccer33 wrote:i thought Maaco was usually advertised as being a few hundred dollars, which is definitely the low end of the cost spectrum

i wouldnt expect a lot for the price, but it would be great to hide the faded spots for a few more years until i can buy my own garage to keep it in.

i thought about taking the body parts off myself. its all plastic and they basically snap on, I've just never investigated exactly how that works.

I work in a paint shop and a couple of our guys used to paint cars. I could inquire about this if you're serious.

Letang Is The Truth · Post by **Letang Is The Truth** » Thu May 29, 2014 7:26 am

anyone have a gmc terrain

Post by **columbia** » Thu Jun 05, 2014 7:50 am

http://dornob.com/modern-hippie-bus-goe ... z33amGB8eg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

count2infinity · Post by **count2infinity** » Thu Jun 05, 2014 7:53 am

Just got word that my car is paid off... now to try to make it last 2 more years or so before I get a new one.

mac5155 · Post by **mac5155** » Thu Jun 05, 2014 11:23 am

I had a dream last night my dealer who i bought my Jetta off was forcing me to trade it back in. lol

ulf · Post by **ulf** » Thu Jun 05, 2014 10:35 pm

So I lease a 2012 wrangler sahara. The dealership called me and asked about bringing it back early (up next March) and giving me some deals on a new vehicle. This is the first car I've leased.. Is there any value of a lease as a bargaining chip? For instance she said they're looking for newer jeeps in good shape. Problem is, I don't want another jeep. Loved it but my next car isn't gonna come from the Jeep/Chrysler/Dodge dealership I got it from. I always assumed you just turn it in at the end and that's that. But my buddy just turned his lease into another dealership when he got a new car and I guess I didn't realize you could do that. Has anyone ever really gotten anything out of an expiring lease?

Factorial · Post by **Factorial** » Thu Jun 05, 2014 10:40 pm

count2infinity wrote:Just got word that my car is paid off... now to try to make it last 2 more years or so before I get a new one.

Cars of today should last a lot longer than that. Mine is at 14 years in August and she is wearing out but with no car payments for nine years now I can live with things breaking here and there.

Post by **columbia** » Sat Jun 07, 2014 8:26 am

http://blogs.marketwatch.com/energy-tic ... tical-map/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

mac5155 · Post by **mac5155** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 12:35 pm

Does anyone have a Ford Escape? specifically a 2011-12 (before they went the route of the pure crossover) V6 4x4? I am looking to downsize the truck we have and think this might be a good option. It supposedly has 3k# towing capacity and gets 26 MPG. Wondering how realistic those numbers are (of course, thye wont happen at the same time.. which is fine).

Firebird · Post by **Firebird** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 9:54 pm

First dabble with plasti-dip. Dipped my grills:

mac5155 wrote:Does anyone have a Ford Escape? specifically a 2011-12 (before they went the route of the pure crossover) V6 4x4? I am looking to downsize the truck we have and think this might be a good option. It supposedly has 3k# towing capacity and gets 26 MPG. Wondering how realistic those numbers are (of course, thye wont happen at the same time.. which is fine).

Also, a 3k towing capacity is nearly nothing (quick search, the V6 weighs 3.4k lbs - so it isn't even rated to tow itself). A Civic has a 1.5k towing capacity.....

I'm not sure what the gradient is for towing capacity specs. Something you might want to keep in mind or research

Also, if youre considering towing, you seriously need to consider engine torques

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